Plus field vision allows him to efficiently work through progressions and find receivers late into the down

Anticipatory thrower with a developed understanding of throwing lanes

Played through various injuries this past season; was hit on 133 of his 662 dropbacks

Fearless player who exudes confidence and was ultimately forced to carry this offense

Weaknesses:

Will bail out of clean pockets

Complicates simple throws by doing more than is necessary with his mechanics; primarily throwing off-based when he has room in the pocket to set up

Often throws before his feet are set in which intensifies the inability to engage his lower half

Mental clock needs to speed up exponentially as he won’t have the same time to freelance at the next level

Gunslinger mentality has led to risky plays

Lead foot tends to drift and get disconnected from his upper body, ultimately affecting his accuracy

Could likely use another year to grow and develop mechanically

Air Raid stigma will likely affect perception and draft stock

Mahomes guided the Red Raiders for two-and-half years, and never disappointed. In 32 career starts, Mahomes completed 63 percent of his passes for 11,252 yards and 93 touchdowns against a mere 29 interceptions-nearly a 3:1 TD-INT ratio.

Pro comp: Johnny Manziel/Matt Stafford

Put those two in a blender and you get Mahomes. His escapability, creativity and free-lancing ability are reminiscent of what made Manziel a Heisman Trophy winner while those off-platform, adjusted arm angle throws and arm talent are what made Stafford a number one overall pick and traits that will allow Mahomes to thrive in the NFL.

Draft value: Second round

Expect to see a variety of different projections for Mahomes, but his natural talent allows him to overcome some of those technique deficiencies. He’s likely going to have to undergo the transition period that sidelined Jared Goff for the first nine games of his rookie campaign as he perfected the pre-snap nuances required of a pro quarterback. But with Mahomes, the situation could (potentially) be much different: while both passers hail from the same system, Mahomes is the twice the athlete Goff is with twice the arm talent and ability. Where it took Goff the extended time to learn 100 percent of what was asked of him pre-snap, Mahomes’ athleticism and natural ability may create a situation where he’s in the game with 80 or possibly 70 percent of the knowledge; while it’s risky, not all franchise-dependent scenarios are created equal. I don’t think it’s a stretch to claim Mahomes will be-when contextualized-one of the most successful quarterbacks from the 2017 crop.